Woodland Park Zoo

Name

Woodland Park Zoo

Legal name

Woodland Park Zoo

Website

https://zoo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Zoological Park and Wildlife Conservation

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoo & Aquarium Parks (Ticketed Wildlife Attractions) (THAJAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Zoological park services
• Wildlife conservation programs
• Animal exhibit experiences
• Conservation education programs
• Species survival programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Full-priced General Admission Tickets purchased 4 or more days in advance receive a 10% discount. Ticket sales are only available online. CityPASS bundles are also available offering up to 47% savings when combined with four other Seattle attractions.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership passes providing unlimited admission, discounts, and presales. Explorer Pass membership available at $40 for eligible foster/EBT/WIC families covering 2 named adults and up to 6 children.
3. Donations and Charitable Giving: One-time and monthly donations supporting wildlife conservation. Donors can designate gifts to specific programs. Planned giving and corporate engagement programs are also available.
4. Adopt an Animal / ZooParent: Symbolic animal adoption programs where supporters receive recognition and benefits in exchange for contributions.
5. Food, Beverage, and Retail Sales: On-site dining at 1899 Grove, Gather + Graze Café, and The Wild Cup; ZooStore merchandise including Conservation Commerce items. All dining is cashless, with mobile ordering available.
6. Experiences and Rentals: Fee-based experiences including Historic Carousel ($3 per ride), Zoomersion VR experience ($8), Butterfly Garden ($3 per person), and mobility equipment rentals (strollers, wheelchairs, ECV scooters).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Woodland Park Zoo operates a 92-acre accredited zoological park in Seattle, Washington housing over 800 animals across more than 250 species in bioclimatic zone exhibits. The zoo sells general admission tickets, annual memberships, on-site experiences (carousel, VR, butterfly garden, rentals), dining, and retail merchandise, while operating wildlife conservation field programs locally (Pacific Northwest) and internationally (Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Borneo, Thailand). Revenue is generated through admission fees, memberships, donations, animal adoptions, food and beverage, retail, and grants supporting species recovery and habitat protection.

Product overview

Woodland Park Zoo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit zoo operating across 92 acres in Seattle, Washington, accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and certified by American Humane Conservation. The zoo offers multiple bioclimatic zone exhibits including African Savanna, Assam Rhino Reserve, Australasia, Butterfly Garden, Forest Trailhead (new treetop adventure exhibit), Humboldt Penguin Exhibit, Living Northwest Trail, Reptile Realm, Temperate Forest, Tropical Asia, and Tropical Rain Forest. Beyond animal exhibits, the zoo provides diverse experiences including ZooTunes concerts, Wild Encounters (phased expansion through 2027 with Lorikeet Landing and animal encounters), Zoomazium indoor play, Zoomersion VR, Historic Carousel, and seasonal events like WildLanterns and OktoBEARfest. Dining options include 1899 Grove restaurant and Gather + Graze Cafe. The zoo operates extensive conservation programs including Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, Living Northwest Program, Community Science initiatives, Hornbill Nest Adoptions, and Zoo Doo Compost. Accessibility services include sighted guides and mobility equipment rentals. The zoo serves diverse community needs through Community Access Program (CAP), Explorer Pass membership, and Discover Tickets for underserved populations. Revenue streams include admission tickets, memberships, dining, ZooStore retail, animal adoptions, and donations supporting wildlife conservation globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Admission Tickets Single-day admission tickets to the 92-acre Woodland Park Zoo for adults, children, and seniors, with discounts available for military, persons with disabilities, EBT/WIC recipients, and groups of 20+.
• Annual Membership Program Annual membership passes providing unlimited zoo admission, retail and dining discounts, and presale event access for individuals and families.
• ZooParent Animal Adoption Symbolic adoption program where supporters contribute funds toward the care of specific zoo animals and receive recognition gifts in return.
• Historic Carousel Classic hand-carved wooden carousel offering rides at $3 per ride in addition to zoo admission.
• Zoomersion VR Experience Immersive virtual reality wildlife experience featuring 'The Great Migration' film, available for $8 in addition to zoo admission.
• Butterfly Garden

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000,000 gallons of water and 22,000 kilowatt hours of energy saved annually by the Humboldt Penguin exhibit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tree Kangaroo Conservation ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe zoo co-manages the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, working with local communities in rural Papua New Guinea to protect the endangered Matschie's tree kangaroo and its habitat. This is a signature conservation program of Woodland Park Zoo and has been operating for over 30 years.
• Living Northwest ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA signature program of Woodland Park Zoo focused on recovery of threatened species in the Pacific Northwest, including wolverine and lynx monitoring, urban carnivore coexistence, and western pond turtle and silverspot butterfly recovery.
• Red Panda Network (Nepal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner leading community-based efforts to protect red pandas and their habitats, sharing the zoo's conservation model with communities in Nepal.
• Gunung Palung Conservation Program (Borneo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Wildlife helping protect forest habitat for critically endangered Sumatran orangutans in Gunung Palung National Park, Indonesian Borneo.
• Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Programme (Borneo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation program in Sabah, Borneo dedicated to protecting orangutans and their habitat through community engagement and habitat protection.
• Snow Leopard TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1981 by Woodland Park Zoo staff member Helen Freeman. Works with governments and conservationists across 12 South and Central Asian countries to save snow leopards through community-based conservation and scientific research.
• International Rhino FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports greater one-horned rhino conservation in India, including anti-poaching efforts, habitat protection, and rhino translocations within Assam's protected areas.
• Northern Jaguar Project (Mexico)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreserves and recovers the world's northernmost jaguar population in Sonora, Mexico, promoting coexistence with local communities and engaging youth as conservation ambassadors.
• Hornbill Research Foundation (Thailand)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership (since 1997) supporting hornbill research, education, and conservation in Thailand, including nest monitoring and artificial nest box installation. The zoo serves as US fiscal agent for the nest adoption program.
• Turtle Survival Alliance (Cambodia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports head-starting and release programs for endangered turtles in Cambodia, including southern river terrapin conservation in the Sre Ambel River System.
• Partula Recovery and Reintroduction (French Polynesia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreserves and reintroduces extinct-in-the-wild Partulidae tree snail species in French Polynesia through international breeding programs.
• Punta San Juan Program (Peru)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine reserve conservation program focused on securing a future for Humboldt penguins and shared ecosystem species along Peru's Pacific coast.
• King County MetrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree roundtrip fare on eligible Metro buses and Link light rail for all ticket buyers including CAP and Discover Ticket holders. Youth 18 and younger always ride free.
• Levy (Hospitality Partner)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLevy operates on-site food and beverage services at the zoo including 1899 Grove, Gather + Graze Café, and The Wild Cup, as well as the Bold Reuse returnable cup program.
• Community Access Program Partners (Nonprofits and Government Entities)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartners include nonprofits with 501(c)3 status, Washington state or local government entities, and Tribal organizations serving under-resourced individuals, immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and at-risk youth.
• Microsoft Pollinator PatiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear-round pollinator-friendly garden behind the Butterfly Garden, co-branded with Microsoft, designed to educate visitors about supporting native pollinators at home.
• Malayan Tiger Project (Peninsular Malaysia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with Panthera and on-the-ground groups to study and protect critical tiger corridors in Peninsular Malaysia, expanding anti-poaching patrols in wildlife trafficking hotspots.
• HUTAN — Hutan Orangutan Conservation (Borneo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoodland Park Zoo conservation partner dedicated to forests and wildlife of Malaysian Borneo. HUTAN employs Kinabatangan community members to study, protect, and advocate for elephants, orangutans, hornbills, and other wildlife.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Oregon Zoo: Another major Pacific Northwest AZA-accredited zoo serving the Portland metro with comparable exhibit scale, conservation programs, and a similar Pacific Northwest regional focus, directly competing for visitor and donor dollars.
• Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium: Tacoma-based AZA-accredited zoo and aquarium operating in the same Puget Sound region, offering overlapping family entertainment, conservation programming, and direct competition for Seattle-Tacoma visitors and members.
• Saint Louis Zoo: Free-admission, municipally supported AZA-accredited zoo with strong global conservation programs and one of the largest U.S. visitor bases; closely comparable in scale, AZA standing, and conservation-mission integration.
• Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance: AZA-accredited nonprofit zoo with comparable acreage, ~1M+ annual visitors, global field conservation programs, and a similar capital-campaign-driven reinvestment cycle in new exhibits.
• Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden: AZA-accredited nonprofit zoo with nationally recognized conservation breeding programs (e.g., Sumatran rhino, cheetah) and a comparable mix of ticketed experiences, membership programs, and field conservation funding.
• Houston Zoo: Large AZA-accredited nonprofit zoo with global conservation partnerships and a substantial $150M+ capital reinvestment cycle, sharing the model of combining family entertainment with international species-survival programs.
• Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium: AZA-accredited zoo widely regarded as a top-tier U.S. zoological institution with signature immersive exhibits and strong conservation research — a direct peer in exhibit ambition, AZA standing, and visitor experience depth.

Broad incumbents

• San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: The flagship AZA-accredited zoological organization operating the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and global conservation programs; a much larger incumbent with a comparable nonprofit zoo + global conservation model and substantially greater scale.
• Smithsonian's National Zoo: Free-admission AZA-accredited zoo in Washington, D.C. operated by the Smithsonian Institution, sharing the conservation-education mission, AZA accreditation, and global species survival program framework.
• Bronx Zoo (Wildlife Conservation Society): One of the largest urban zoos in the U.S., operated by WCS with deep global field conservation programs — directly comparable in mission, AZA accreditation, and integration of in-park visitor experience with international species conservation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/woodlandparkzoo
• Facebookfacebook.com/WoodlandParkZooSeattle
• Instagraminstagram.com/woodlandparkzoo
• TikToktiktok.com/@woodlandparkzoo
• Xx.com/woodlandparkzoo

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Woodland Park Zoo